In December 2016, I decided to take a break from blogging
because I fell out of love with it. During this time, I wanted to really figure
out the type of person I want to be, and I want that person to be the same
online, as in real life. Blogging became more a chore for me and I feel like
all the joy was zapped out of it. And articles from bigger bloggers saying the
market is saturated and there’s no room for everyone else doesn’t help, but it
isn’t going to stop me. I’m back to blogging for good, and I have six different
ways I’m going to ensure that happens.

KILL THE COMPARISON

One of the main reasons I fell out of love with blogging is
because I was comparing my blog to everyone else’s. There’s nothing wrong with
wanting to improve and grow as a person, but it should be to your own
standards, not to the achievements of someone else. I was measuring my success
based on how similar I was to other bloggers I looked up to, and when I wasn’t
close to them, it started to get me down. I’ll still look up to bloggers, but
not try to become them. I wanna be me!

NO MORE PRESSURE

I used to really pressure and push myself while blogging,
almost to the point of not wanting to even switch my computer on. I used to
seriously freak out if I wasn’t getting four blog posts out a week and had to post on Instagram three times a
day. That’s when blogging really became a chore. I was even setting reminders
to tweet and so on. Now that blogging is more personal to me, I’m posting when
I feel I should post (but still frequently) and tweeting what I’m actually
thinking, rather than just a quote of the day or a photo of my breakfast. With
Instagram, I still post every day, but filling up people’s feeds isn’t at the
top of my list any more.

FOCUS ON PHOTOS

When blogging my daily outfits, I used to use any old photos
and just hope for the best. I have a chunky DSLR that takes killer photos, and
awesome lenses, so I’m going to make use of them! I really enjoy photography
and my sister (sort of) enjoys taking photos of me in random locations, which
means I really need to up my game. Instead of finding hit and miss Tumblr
images, I want to spend time arranging flat lays, or planning the set up for my
photos, so they not only reflect my personality, but also improve the quality
of my blog.

PUBLISH THOSE DRAFTS

The number one reason I started a blog is because I love to
write. When I was younger, I really thought I was going to be an author or a
journalist because creative writing and sharing my thoughts it my passion. I
have quite a few blog posts sitting in my drafts that I wrote to inspire my
readers. However I was always a little scared to publish them, worried that it
means I won’t fit in to the whole “fashion” market, or that I was straying too
far from my niche. Well my blog is named after myself, and myself shall decide
what I publish. From photography, to travel to journal posts, I want to share
it all.

CREATE VIDEOS

There’s very little chance I’m going to become a YouTuber
over the next six months, but I recently edited a video called “24 Hours in
London” which I shot on my iPhone 7. I really enjoyed the editing process and loved
the final product. Creating a travel video out of the phone footage was
genuinely an enjoyable experience and I definitely want to continue doing so. I
may start small, with the occasional trip around Yorkshire or even some drone
footage. But soon, I want to be able to share travel videos online!

JUST BEING ME

As I mentioned earlier, my blog is named Anika May. That’s
me. There’s no point creating a little corner on the internet for myself,
if I’m not being myself. I finally know the type of person I am, and I know who
I want to grow to become. It’s not another blogger, or a celebrity, or even one
of my friends – it’s just me. Anika. I’m not that cool, I don’t pout in photos
and I like spending hours watching trash TV. I no longer want to hide aspects
of my personality or worry what people think of me because it’s my blog, and it always will be. Haters
gon’ hate…right?